"I cannot overemphasize the rapport of this group.
We would meet together to discuss important steps almost on the spur of
the moment of an afternoon. We would discuss things freely. I think many
of us had ideas in these discussion groups, one person's remarks suggesting
an idea to another. We went to the heart of many things during the existence
of this group, and always when we go to the place where something needed
to be done, experimental or theoretical, there was never any question
as to who was the appropriate man in the group to do it." - Walter
Brattain

"Shockley had enough brains to leave them alone.
Whether he did it deliberately or whether this was just a function of
his personality I'm not sure." -Joel Shurkin

Solid
State Science Takes Root at Bell

August
1945

As World War II came to a close, Bell Labs
went through a big shake-up. All the scientists were moved
into different sections. Some people were promoted, while others
moved down the ladder. Bell's president Mervin Kelly
was behind the reorganization. He thought the best way to
keep AT&T strong was to have a top-notch basic research
program.

One of the new divisions was the Solid State
Physics group. Kelly suspected that solid state science
might provide a new kind of amplifier to replace the vacuum
tube in AT&T's phone system. The tubes amplified voice
signals as they traveled through the phone wires, but they
were reaching the limits of their potential. A solid state
amplifier -- sturdier and more efficient than a vacuum tube --
might have other uses as well. Among the most likely customers
was the US military. As the cold war got underway, military
agencies invested lavish funding into any kind of research
that might prove useful in the long run. Kelly knew
that his solid state group could help his company -- and
would probably have a guaranteed military client down the road.

William Shockley and chemist Stanley Morgan
were placed in charge of the new group. Other Bell researchers
such as Walter Brattain, Gerald Pearson, and Robert Gibney
were transferred into the group, and others such as
John Bardeen were soon hired.

Shockley ran a subdivision within the larger
group that focused on semiconductor research. Their research
was based on the quantum mechanics theories about semiconductors
that scientists like Eugene Wigner and Frederick Seitz had
developed during the 1930s. Everyone who was a part of it
agrees it was a phenomenally creative group. One of Shockley's
strengths was his ability to pull together the smartest
scientists around, and this particular group of minds worked
together well. They spent lots of time in front of the blackboard,
discussing their work and exchanging ideas. Each researcher
had a specific area of expertise, so if one got stuck on
an experiment there was always a natural person to turn
to for help. Shockley presided over it all, giving them
suggestions, yet allowing them the freedom to do work on
their own.